Abstract

This paper is related to an overview of data needs to calculate thermodynamic and transport properties of thermal plasmas in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and in non‐LTE (when the electron kinetic temperature is assumed to be different of that of heavy species). Methods of calculation of plasma composition are first presented at equilibrium as well as in non‐equilibrium conditions with the data needs for partition functions and kinetic reaction rates. Then a particular attention is paid to transport coefficients in non‐equilibrium thermal plasmas with the data needs: interaction potentials, collision cross sections…. The comparison between the non‐equilibrium simplified theory of transport properties of Devoto and Bonnefoi and that recently developed by Rat et al is made. The influence of the plasma composition on transport coefficients is also presented. Finally, two‐temperature combined diffusion coefficients are shown in an argon‐hydrogen plasma highlighting the mass conservation. Such calculations show that, besides the data uncertainties, the calculation method plays a critical role in the values of plasma
thermodynamic and transport properties, especially in non‐equilibrium conditions.